Want a hoverbike? Then fund this Kickstarter project

Nothing screams "THE FUTURE!" over the sound of multiple huge propellers while flying through the wetlands quite like a Hoverbike. Malloy Aeronautics knows this, and that's why chief engineer Chris Malloy has been slaving away to bring about the eventual ascension of man above roads.

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Since unveiling a prototype of a dual-rotor design in 2011, Malloy Aeronautics has gone through several redesigns to end up with a new quadcopter design. And to finance further testing and construction, the team has created a one-third scale version for mass production to serve as a reward for backers of a new Kickstarter campaign.

As a drone, the 1.15-metre-long miniature replica can carry payloads of around 1.5kg and weighs in at 2.2kg unladen. The 3DR Pixhawk flight controller allows it to be controlled remotely, as well as following predetermined flight paths -- or the pilot themselves -- automatically. The mini-hoverbike also comes with a third-scale 3D-printed humanoid to perch on top, complete with a recess in its head to fit a GoPro camera in to get that pilot's eye view of the action. And it even folds away for easy transport to and from your aerial playground of choice.

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The ride your new cyborg friend will enjoy is full of swooping manoeuvres and rock-steady flight, stable enough to carry a full glass of OJ to table six. The straight line top speed of 45mph is enough to blear the eyes, but a far cry from the full-size prototype's theorised (and frankly absurd) 173mph. And we doubt it'll reach as high as the 3,048-metre maximum altitude Malloy proposed for a one-man frame using ducted propellors taken from a hovercraft.

To get your hands on the scaled-down "bare bones" prototype will set you back just £715 for a limited time, before the £1,050 pricetag takes over. This version will require you to install your own radio transmitter, and the package with the Pixhawk controller on-board will cost £1,150. The campaign currently sits at just shy of a third of its £30,000 goal, and achieving full funding will allow Malloy and his small team to build and test the lifesize version of the overlapping quad-rotor design.